AMD Radeon RX 570X vs NVIDIA Quadro K4200 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains a single shared benchmark between these two cards, and the result is decisive. In Geekbench OpenCL, the AMD Radeon RX 570X scores 38,939 points against the NVIDIA Quadro K4200's 12,313 points. That is a delta of 216.2% in favor of the AMD part. The Radeon RX 570X delivers more than three times the raw compute throughput in this workload, which aligns with its 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance versus the Quadro K4200's 2.107 TFLOPS. The gap is so large that the Quadro K4200's score falls below half of the Radeon's result, and no other benchmark in the database shows a comparable reversal.

Looking at the broader context, the Radeon RX 570X's average benchmark score sits at 13,871, placing it at the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile at 13,821 (a 0.4% difference), the AMD Radeon 660M at 13,812 (0.4%), and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT at 13,745 (0.9%). The Radeon RX 570X is essentially tied with those cards on average, but its OpenCL result is an outlier in a positive direction. Meanwhile, the Quadro K4200 averages 12,398 points, sitting at the 52nd percentile. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla K20Xm at 12,625 (a -1.8% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT at 12,710 (-2.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 at 12,773 (-2.9%). The Quadro K4200 trails those three by small margins, and it leads the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960A by 3.3% (11,998 points).

The head-to-head delta of 216.2% is the largest comparative figure in this matchup. It reflects a generational and architectural chasm: the Radeon RX 570X is built on a newer process, has nearly double the shading units, and runs at significantly higher clocks. The Geekbench OpenCL test stresses general-purpose compute, where the Radeon's 2048 shading units and 128 texture mapping units give it an overwhelming advantage over the Quadro's 1344 shading units and 112 TMUs. The Quadro K4200 does have a Vulkan score of 12,482 in the database, but no corresponding Vulkan result exists for the Radeon RX 570X, so a direct comparison on that API is not possible from the recorded data.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 570X wins the only benchmark where both cards have recorded scores. In OpenCL compute, it is 216.2% ahead, which translates to roughly 3.16 times the performance. This is a clear demonstration of the Radeon's advantage in parallel workloads that leverage its larger shader array and higher memory bandwidth. The Radeon RX 570X also holds a substantial lead in theoretical peak figures: its pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s is 81% higher than the Quadro's 21.95 GPixel/s, and its texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s is 81% higher than the Quadro's 87.81 GTexel/s. These metrics indicate that the Radeon would also excel in fill-rate-bound scenarios, such as high-resolution texture sampling or multi-sample anti-aliasing.

The NVIDIA Quadro K4200 does not win any head-to-head benchmarks in this dataset. However, it does hold advantages in specific areas that are not captured by the single OpenCL test. Its power draw is lower at 108 W versus 150 W, and it is a single-slot card, making it more suitable for dense workstation builds or systems with limited expansion space. The Quadro K4200 also supports a higher OpenGL version (4.6, same as the Radeon) and its Vulkan support is listed as 1.2.175, though the Radeon's Vulkan 1.3 is newer. The Quadro's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory is half the Radeon's 8 GB, but for professional applications that do not require large frame buffers, the Quadro's lower power envelope and single-slot footprint could be decisive factors.

In terms of use cases, the Radeon RX 570X is the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks such as OpenCL acceleration, machine learning inference on older frameworks, or any workload that scales with raw FP32 throughput. Its 8 GB frame buffer also allows larger textures and datasets to reside on the GPU. The Quadro K4200, despite its age, may still be relevant for legacy professional software that relies on certified drivers or specific OpenGL optimizations, but the benchmark data does not show any performance scenario where it outpaces the Radeon.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX 570X is built on the Polaris 20 chip using the GCN 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It contains 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 24.6 million per mm². In contrast, the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 uses the GK104 chip with the Kepler architecture, fabricated on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 3,540 million transistors on a larger 294 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 12.0 million per mm². The Radeon's newer process node allows it to pack more transistors into a smaller area, which directly contributes to its higher performance and efficiency.

The shader configuration differs substantially. The Radeon RX 570X has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Quadro K4200 has 1344 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The Radeon has 52% more shading units and 14% more TMUs, while both cards share the same ROP count. This explains why the Radeon's pixel rate (39.81 GPixel/s) and texture rate (159.2 GTexel/s) are both roughly 81% higher than the Quadro's corresponding figures (21.95 GPixel/s and 87.81 GTexel/s). The clock speeds also favor the Radeon: its base clock is 1168 MHz with a boost of 1244 MHz, while the Quadro runs at 771 MHz base and 784 MHz boost. That is a 51% higher base clock and a 59% higher boost clock for the AMD part.

Memory architectures are similar in bus width (256 bit for both), but the Radeon has twice the capacity (8 GB versus 4 GB) and higher effective speed (7 Gbps versus 5.4 Gbps). This yields a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s for the Radeon against 172.8 GB/s for the Quadro, a 30% advantage. The Radeon also supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the Quadro is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16, which halves the theoretical bus bandwidth for data transfers.

Feature-wise, the Radeon supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Quadro supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Radeon's DirectX 12 feature level is higher (12_0 vs 11_0), and its Vulkan version is newer. Neither card has dedicated ray tracing cores or tensor cores, so both rely on traditional shader-based rendering. The Radeon supports FP16 at a 1:1 ratio with FP32 (5.095 TFLOPS), while the Quadro does not list any FP16 capability. This makes the Radeon more flexible for mixed-precision workloads that can leverage half-precision arithmetic.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The process node is 14 nm for the AMD card versus 28 nm for the NVIDIA card. Transistor count is 5,700 million versus 3,540 million, and die size is 232 mm² versus 294 mm². Transistor density is 24.6M per mm² versus 12.0M per mm². Base clocks are 1168 MHz versus 771 MHz, and boost clocks are 1244 MHz versus 784 MHz. Memory speed is 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) versus 1350 MHz (5.4 Gbps effective). Memory capacity is 8 GB versus 4 GB, while both use GDDR5 and a 256-bit bus. Bandwidth is 224.0 GB/s versus 172.8 GB/s.

Shading units number 2048 versus 1344, TMUs are 128 versus 112, and ROPs are identical at 32. Pixel rate is 39.81 GPixel/s versus 21.95 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 159.2 GTexel/s versus 87.81 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 5.095 TFLOPS versus 2.107 TFLOPS. The Radeon lists FP16 at 5.095 TFLOPS (1:1), while the Quadro has no FP16 entry. TDP is 150 W versus 108 W, and the slot width is dual-slot versus single-slot. Both use a single 6-pin power connector, but the suggested PSU is 450 W for the AMD card and 300 W for the NVIDIA card. The bus interface is PCIe 3.0 x16 for the Radeon and PCIe 2.0 x16 for the Quadro. Display outputs differ: the Radeon has 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0b, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a; the Quadro has 1x DVI and 2x DisplayPort 1.2. The Radeon's dimensions are 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length, while the Quadro's are 241 mm (9.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height. Release dates are April 2018 for the Radeon and July 2014 for the Quadro. The Radeon's predecessor is Polaris and its successor is Vega; the Quadro's predecessor is Quadro Fermi and its successor is Quadro Maxwell.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the AMD Radeon RX 570X in the shared OpenCL benchmark?

A: The Radeon RX 570X scores 38,939 points versus the Quadro K4200's 12,313 points, a delta of 216.2% in favor of the AMD card.

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The Radeon RX 570X has 8 GB of GDDR5 with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the Quadro K4200 has 4 GB of GDDR5 with 172.8 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the FP32 compute figures for both cards?

A: The Radeon RX 570X delivers 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the Quadro K4200 delivers 2.107 TFLOPS. The Radeon is roughly 142% higher.

Q: Does the Quadro K4200 have any advantages over the Radeon RX 570X?

A: Yes, the Quadro has a lower TDP at 108 W versus 150 W, and it is a single-slot card versus the Radeon's dual-slot design. It also requires a smaller suggested PSU (300 W versus 450 W).

Q: Which card supports newer APIs?

A: The Radeon RX 570X supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The Quadro K4200 supports DirectX 12 (11_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.175. The Radeon has the newer DirectX feature level and the newer Vulkan version.

Q: How do the two cards compare in terms of transistor density?

A: The Radeon RX 570X has a transistor density of 24.6 million per mm² on its 232 mm² die, while the Quadro K4200 has 12.0 million per mm² on its 294 mm² die. The Radeon's 14 nm process allows for a much denser layout.